Xmas at Orchard Road Singapore in 2009

It says let your hair down but not your guard!



When we arrive the crowd has just started to come in. We took the MRT and went for some dinner. Some shopping was called for @ Wisma Atrium. Then we proceeded to walk Orchard Road. The people was packing the road but the main street was not closed as in most years before.

So, we just watched people doing their things, photo-taking, chatting, and waiting for the count-down.

Being older now, I was getting bored fast. Yet, with a camera in hand I could document with photo and provide a photo-essay later for the blog. "ahhhh, so I want to take this, this and that" I heard myself say. I imagined a scrap book story-board in my mind and was busy capturing photos to present that story.

Special touring roofless double deckers are called Hippotours bringing tourist and visitors to Orchard while ushering in Xmas 2009.













So many tourist and Singaporeans walking at Ion Orchard, Orchard road.
















She must be waiting for someone, she was standing for a long time.

To Singapore for Xmas, AEROLINE

I created a little montage photos for Aeroline.

It happens that we wanted to go on a short vacation and as some would put it, after the planning, we found ourselves on the bus (Aeroline) moving South.

The journey started on 24th December 2009, at 11am departure time. The Aeroline from Bandar Utama to Singapore would take 7 hours. We tagged our luggage and waited for the bus at 10am.
In the bus:
OK, the bus has entertainment, food, drinks and space to relax. We got treated to 2 movies, one I do not know the title and it was not great to watch. The other, Bride's War, and that was really fun.

Food (our's were vegetarian) was great, nothing fancy but good for the trip. My wife sudoku game on her mobile was so entertaining that phone ran outta juice and had to be charged mid-way, luckily there were :"light" usage power points in the bus!

I forgot my headsets, but AEROLINE did not, they loan us FOC! That's better than First Coach.
(First Coach charges the same rates (almost) for less value).

I liked the bus and it's friendly attendant. The experience was great and I give it 8/10, will recommend for others!

Singapore Immigration Embarkment forms















Headsets on loan!

Singapore Night Safari-Xmas 2009, a photo essay

Date: 25th December 2009 (Xmas)
Time: 8pm-11pm
Venue: Singapore Night Safari
Cost:SGD$42 inclusive transport from hotel, and tram rides,

Part of the "creature of the night!" show. Animal handlers in action and acknowledging the crowd.

Some motion blur with slow shutter speed and grains(noise) from high ISO used.
Good for black and white. Edited with CS3, 3D effect was the by-product.





With over 6,000 visitors needing to board the trams, the queue was long and difficult. Some elderly folks were helped away from the crowd. The zoo staffs were helping to ease the wait by photographing their visitors.





Due to the crowd, lots of people were getting annoyed, unwell and irritated.

Malakoff 20 December 09

Nice and fun race, but hilly. Start/Finish at Bukit Kiara. 12Km and 7km runs, we took the 12Km !

First hill 1km (Science Center): Very slow run, not fully warmed up although I did manage to slow jog before the start. Surprisingly I still overtook some runners that surged right after gun start.

Flats 2km: Flat runs are always welcome after hilly ones. Kept my pace, but when I pushed faster, I had side stitch (pain below my ribs, left to my stomach). That kept me slower, but I kept massaging it and then it went off after 2Km.

Hill (again), this one really sloppy, Push more and imagine I am a balloon. But my balloon have little air. So I tried to overtake and gain ground. Mid-hill I had to walk a little to catch my breath.

Water station: Normally I don't take in so much water, but I went for it, half cup water, I sipped half of that. Did not know if it affected my race later on but it was satisfying to have a drink. I am pampering myself. I checked my watch; less than an hour, good timing!

Downhill (woohoo), I was taking it slow dowhill, then went faster and faster, those who overtook me uphill was taken by surprise downhill. I kept my pace as best I could but I took in most absorbed impact to save my knees.

First loop completed: 7Km runners are departing to finish line, 12Km runners doing second loop.

Uphill (again), this one really "kaw" massive steep uphill! Push and Push and even my wife gets to catch up with me. I was really surprise because I zoomed off rather early in the race.
"my timing going to be way off the mark if I see you now" I said
"keep running and stop talking" she blurted

I waved to the RELA and Polis, then to some cars that had to wait for us runners as we are king of the hills , so to speak la.

FLATS : Wife was pacing with me, then I said I going to go faster to meet race qualifying time of 1h 35 mins. She nodded. I zoomed like a speeding Mat rempit.

Hills (last one) : I feel like a 3 ton lorry climbing this final hill. Tried all ways to master this hill climb but to no avail. I looked to my right and this lady was brisk walking at my jog pace. walau! so I joined her instead. Save energy la. Also, must be smart in racing. I consider this a race strategy. Later, downhill can unleashed the power.
Then I got a pat in the butt. Oii, who's touching me? Turned to my right, ohhh, it's my wife! Bloody fast uphill.
"how come you're so fast, dear?" I asked
"Uphill is so easy for me,housework helps! but we are going downhill now" She replied.


DOWNhill (to finish line) ; We ran side by side as man and wife, zooming downhill. You can feel the envy of other runners as they watched us zip by like F1 cars.
Most olders runners have to save their knees so they cannot make a fast deccent .

We glided to the finish line hand in hand.
"it was fun!" she commented.
"wow, you're very fast dear!" I responded
"OK, now to spot and pose for the photographers" I quipped

We got in in very good timing. It's amazing for us to have the same time of completion. Haha.
Very good race indeed!






I'm waiting for photos captured during the run.
Note: Photos taken from PM Tey Eng Tiong (who takes lovely shots by the way!)

Malakoff 2009-upcoming!

Then there was this race or should I call it, run for 12KM, called Malakoff 2009.

What's this Malakoff? I ask myself. It's a company! The pacesetter club (an athletic runners club) that organizes such runs.

In truth, I was certain running was not an activity that normal layman likes. I mean, I visualize men and women sweating, huffing, choking with fatigue and with messy hairdo dressed in sleeveless, singlets-like attire, finishing 12Km on foot.

So why is there a huge following in running?

I visited Adidas and Nike to get some ideas. These retail shops dedicates a section in their premise for running and football. Now, I understand why football is a craze (the fans are just watching and pretending they are Ronaldo, Beckam etc). Running merchandises are equally plenty.

Not really blessed with many "stars". Kenyans runners are leaders in this sports. Nike, they have one lady called Paula Radcliffe that may inspire many women runners. As for most Men, I presume any Kenyan will do for now. I respect Kenyan runners because they just run with no fancy equipments required. Some even barefoot!

Huge following or not, lots of runners are there for health reasons and some for social networking.

In Malakoff 2009, the runners shall shine and conquor 12 Km on foot equally well.

Zoo Negara, National zoo, Malaysia

The leopard pacing because it got bored.

Giraffes, are normal for zoos

Looking at this elephant, I just had to take a photograph.

This baby Hippo looks really cute!

Zoo Negara / National Zoo, we got the tickets plus a free T-shirt for RM 15.00 that paid the T-shirt cost in parts. The deal was too good to be turned down and hence we succumbed . We thought it would be a great way to visit a place we have not seen in the last 8 years. So with newer attractions (hopefully), we mostly loved the photography opportunities.

Bended baby giraffe

The King...well an old and sleepy one

Mr. Elephant will and can be fed by tourist (buying bananas).

The cute little deer, asking for food I presume?

Lots of birds, especially after the rain!

Star attraction: Penguins in water reflections

Brrrrr.....cold!

Autumn/Fall collections @The Gardens.

Some photos taken from this year autumn/fall collection at The Gardens. This was taken during the media night. Hope you enjoy them !

Back hook kick Taekwondo.

Aim to head. With knees bended, follow through and complete bending knees at the end (often point of impact. This is a short but precise kick. Good for sparring.

Excuses for cheating

But Then Again
By MARY SCHNEIDER

There may be 17 reasons for indulging in an affair but they don’t count in a marriage.

A GOOD friend who has been having an affair with a married man for six years called me in despair the other day.

“I think the @#$%^*& is cheating on me,” she said.

I tried to think of a response more sympathetic than the one on the tip of my tongue: “Like, duh! What do you expect?”

But as it turned out, I wasn’t given a chance to respond immediately.

“How could he do this to me?” she continued. “I thought we had a good relationship.”

“How can an affair be considered a good relationship?” I wanted to say, but she’d already second-guessed my response.

“We’ve been together for six years now. Doesn’t that count for anything? This isn’t just a fling,” she said, in an attempt to rationalise her behaviour all these years.

“What makes you think he’s cheating on you?” I said.

“I saw an e-mail he wrote to another woman.”

“How did you manage to see that?”

“I know the password to his e-mail account.”

I don’t know about you, but accessing someone’s e-mail account without their consent is a sure sign that you don’t trust that person.

“Did you confront him about it?”

“Yes. But he said I misinterpreted his playfulness.”

Then my friend asked me the one question I never want to hear when someone is having relationship problems.

“What do you think I should do?”

“Dump the #$@*%!” I wanted to say, but didn’t. Experience has taught me that couples who split up can sometimes get back together. And all the unflattering things that I might have said about the no-good, cheating, louse could come back to haunt me.

Then, just as I was telling my friend that she deserved better than having to sneak around, she gave out an almighty shriek.

“Oh, My God, he’s at my front door,” she said, sounding suddenly all excited. “I must look a real mess. Sorry, gotta run.”

Although I was brought up during a time when “good” people just didn’t have affairs, I try not to judge my friend. But I do wonder why an intelligent, vivacious woman would take this route.

Of course, as most people might be quick to point out, today’s moral and ethical landscape is vastly different from that of my childhood – when women who had affairs were often marginalised from mainstream society. But I didn’t realise how much things have really changed, until I discovered a book called When Good People Have Affairs by Mira Kirshenbaum.

Kirshenbaum writes pragmatically about the 17 reasons that people have for cheating on their spouse, whether it be a one-night stand or a long-term fling. Reasons that are not always selfish or immoral – at least, that’s her argument.

So, just to satisfy your curiosity, here are the 17 valid reasons for cheating:

> Break out into selfhood (so you can be and express yourself – painting might also help).

> Accidental (crashing into a tree is usually accidental, or breaking a glass, but never sex. Unless, of course, you get so drunk that you can’t tell the difference between your partner and your next-door neighbour).

> Sexual panic (to prove that you are still sexually capable – as if you can’t prove that with your partner).

> Let’s kill this relationship (and see if it comes back to life).

> Mid-marriage crisis (will add sparkle to a stale or problematic marriage).

> Trading up (when you’ve “moved on” but your spouse hasn’t – note: spouses should not be upgraded like cars or houses).

> Heating up your marriage (the fear of being found out will add more spice to your marriage).

< I just needed to indulge myself (shades of Bill Clinton).

> Ejector seat (either your spouse will kick you out or your lover will give you the courage to quit).

> See if (see if what you’ve been missing in your marriage can be found elsewhere).

> Distraction (will make you forget life’s difficulties – a game of Monopoly or a glass of wine might also do the trick).

> Surrogate therapy (will help you overcome feelings of inadequacy, frustration, etc – a shrink might also help).

> Do I still have it? (sounds like sexual panic).

> Having an experience I missed out on (there’s always bungee jumping, or origami, or trekking in Nepal to consider).

> Revenge (creepy).

> Midlife crisis (sounds like sexual panic again).

> Unmet needs (what happened to unmet commitments?).

My advice to anyone contemplating an affair?

Either you’re married or you’re not. There’s nothing in between.

sourced: TheStar Online

Sunday October 18, 2009

30 lost years

AFTER reading the letters from Desperate Wife (No sex, no marriage, Heart & Soul, Dear Thelma, StarMag, Sept 27) and Desperate-Turned-Happy Wife (No sex but not desperate, Vestibule, StarMag, Oct 4), I wish to share my experience.

After 30 years of marriage, my spouse left me and our children, saying that her duties as a wife and mother were over. She left when we needed her most. She thought new-found freedom in the outside world would be hers when she left her responsibilities.

Throughout our marriage we seldom fought and almost always had the same ideas and interests. I used to pamper her by serving her coffee in bed, feeding her with my hands, and taking her for holidays abroad. I never failed to kiss her before leaving for work. And I always gave her freedom, trusted her and respected her privacy.

All my dreams were shattered when, a few years ago, she walked out of my bedroom saying that the children were all adults and sex was not important anymore. I was 45 then and she, 40.

She even instigated me by saying that I was free to have sex outside if I thought it was important. From then on she prevented me from being physical with her.

Yet I still loved her, cared for her and took her for holidays. Strangely, she would be angry if I ever spoke to or had anything to do with other women.

I tolerated her behaviour, just for the sake of the family. But one day, I caught her with a man 15 years her junior.

When I confronted them, she openly said she was not interested in me anymore and had decided to leave me for him. She also accused me of having other girls because we had not had sex for years.

The problem was her making but she blamed it on me. Finally, I had to let her go, so as to make her realise her mistakes.

Today she is out there without a home and family; her boyfriend abandoned her when he found out that she was broke.

I’ve lost 30 years of family life but today I am happier because she is not here to interfere in my life. We have being divorced for three years.

I really feel sad for the children but life has to go on. They’re living with me. I feel sad for my ex-wife but I can never take her back because she has hurt me very much.

Sad husband

TaeKwondo kicks

Sunday October 11, 2009

Healthy eating for cancer survivors

NUTRI SCENE
By DR TEE E SIONG

After treatment, cancer survivors should follow recommendations for cancer prevention.

DIET-related chronic diseases have now become significant causes of death in many countries, including the developing world. Cancer is one such chronic disease. In many of its forms, cancer is a disease that can cause great suffering and claims many lives.

However, cancer is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, and people’s susceptibility to it varies. There is abundant evidence that food and nutrition, physical activity, and body composition are individually and collectively important modifiers of the risk of cancer. This does indeed mean that at least in principle, most cancer is preventable.

Recognising this, I have highlighted the prevention of cancer, especially through appropriate food and nutrition practices, in a series of NutriScene write-ups over the past year. I had relied on recommendations contained in the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) expert report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer released in November 2007 (www.dietandcancerreport.org/). In addition, I had also relied on the Hong Kong WCRF recommendations for cancer prevention booklet (www.wcrf-hk.org/).

I had highlighted eight general recommendations and one special recommendation of the WCRF report in previous write-ups. All these recommendations dealt with lowering risk and prevention of cancer.

In this article, I will discuss the last of this series of recommendations. This recommendation does not deal with prevention of cancer, but focuses on healthy eating for cancer survivors. I find this an extremely important topic to highlight. There is a great deal of misconception regarding the dietary and nutritional needs of cancer patients and survivors.

Healthy eating is vital for cancer survivors

Cancer survivors are people who are living with a diagnosis of cancer, including those who have recovered from the disease.

Treatment for many cancers is increasingly successful, and so there are many more cancer survivors. Furthermore, cancer survivors are living longer and may live long enough to develop new primary cancers or other chronic diseases. It is therefore extremely important for cancer survivors to adopt appropriate healthy eating practices and an active lifestyle.

There are just too many people out there providing nutrition advice, some of which are really dubious, and others can even be harmful. There are patients who tell me they are afraid of drinking milk or taking eggs as these will make the cancer cells multiply even faster. There are others who eat only fruits and vegetables because they believe they are healthy foods. Such myths about food and nutrients can result in the cancer survivor not obtaining much needed nutrients.

There are also promotions for dubious products that supposedly can “treat” cancers. These include various antioxidant supplements that are supposed to be able to kill cancer cells. It will be very sad indeed if patients forgo conventional medical treatment and dietary advice for such products or practices.

WCRF recommendation for cancer survivors

Upon reviewing all available evidence, the WCRF expert panel concluded that:

·There is growing evidence that physical activity and other measures that help us maintain a healthy weight, such as a balanced diet, may help to prevent cancer recurrence, particularly for breast cancer.

·However, the evidence is not yet clear enough to be able to make any specific recommendations for cancer survivors as a whole, or for those who are survivors of any specific form of cancer.

·The recommendations can also reduce the risk of other chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, so they can be beneficial to cancer survivors for this reason.

Anyone who has received a diagnosis of cancer should receive specialist nutritional advice from an appropriately trained health professional. This includes all cancer survivors, before, during, and after active treatment.

Once treatment has been completed, if the person is able to do so (and unless otherwise advised by a qualified professional), aim to follow the cancer prevention recommendations for diet, healthy weight maintenance, and physical activity. These recommendations have been highlighted in previous articles here. I will summarise these recommendations in the next section.

The above recommendations are generally appropriate, but may not be applicable for specific groups, e.g. people who are currently undergoing treatment for cancer. These patients are likely to have special nutritional requirements. In these cases, it is best to ask an appropriately trained health professional (e.g. a dietitian or a doctor) for advice. This is also true for cancer survivors whose treatment have affected their ability to eat or digest some foods – for example, patients who have undergone a gastrectomy (partial or full surgical removal of the stomach) or a colostomy (a surgical procedure that involves connecting a part of the colon onto the anterior abdominal wall, leaving the patient with an opening on the abdomen called a stoma).

Healthy eating and active living for cancer prevention (and cancer survivors)

Recommendation 1: Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight.

·Ensure that body weight through childhood and adolescence growth projects towards the lower end of the normal BMI range at age 21.

·Maintain body weight within the normal range from age 21.

·Avoid weight gain and increases in waist circumference throughout adulthood.

Recommendation 2: Be physically active as part of everyday life.

·Be moderately physically active, equivalent to brisk walking, for at least 30 minutes every day. Brisk walking can be incorporated in occupational, transport, household, or leisure activities.

·As fitness improves, aim for 60 minutes or more of moderate, or for 30 minutes or more of vigorous, physical activity every day.

·Limit sedentary habits such as watching television.

Recommendation 3: Limit consumption of energy-dense foods and sugary drinks that promote weight gain.

·Consume energy-dense foods (more than about 225–275kcal per 100 g) sparingly

·Avoid sugary drinks (i.e. drinks with added sugars)

·Consume “fast foods” sparingly, if at all (The term “fast foods” refers to readily available convenience foods that tend to be energy-dense and consumed frequently and in large portions).

Recommendation 4: Eat mostly foods of plant origin.

·Eat at least five portions/servings (at least 400g) of a variety of non-starchy vegetables and fruits of different colours every day.

·Eat relatively unprocessed cereals (grains) and/or pulses (legumes) with every meal.

·Limit refined starchy foods.

·People who consume starchy roots or tubers as staples need to ensure intake of sufficient non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and pulses (legumes).

Recommendation 5: Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat.

·People who eat red meat should consume less than 500g a week, very little if any to be processed. (Note: Red meat refers to beef, pork, lamb, and mutton from domesticated animals, including that contained in processed foods; processed meat refers to meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or the addition of chemical preservatives, including that contained in processed foods.)

Recommendation 6: Limit alcoholic drinks

·If alcoholic drinks are consumed, limit consumption to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.

·Children and pregnant women should not consume alcoholic drinks.

Recommendation 7: Limit consumption of salt and avoid mouldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes).

·Avoid salt-preserved, salted, or salty foods; preserve foods without using salt.

·Limit consumption of processed foods with added salt to ensure an intake of less than 6g (2.4g sodium) a day.

·Do not eat mouldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes).

Recommendation 8: Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone.

·Dietary supplements are not recommended for cancer prevention.

Cancer survivors should pay attention to meeting their nutritional needs. There are no secret recipes or magic formulas for cancer survivors. They need not rely on expensive products and practices to stay healthy after completing the required treatments.

Healthy eating and active living recommendations for the prevention of cancers are generally applicable for survivors too. Seek help from an appropriately trained health professional.

NutriScene is a fortnightly column by Dr Tee E Siong, who pens his thoughts as a nutritionist with over 30 years of experience in the research and public health arena. For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my.

Furry Friends Farm 6.10.09

Milkweed bug

Large Milkweed Bug
Lygaeus kalmii
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Family Lygaeidae (Seed Bugs)
Subfamily Lygaeinae
Genus Lygaeus
Species kalmii (Small Milkweed Bug)


Adult: dark gray to black with broad orange or red band on forewing, forming an "X" shape that doesn't quite meet in the middle; head black with dull red spot on top, sometimes extending down onto face; pronotum with red transverse band, bordered anteriorly by two black spots, and posteriorly by two black semicircular lobes; membranous portion of forewing all black in eastern specimens

thrice yearning chanting service

thrice yearning chanting service

Thrice Yearning and Chanting Service Date: 27.9.09 Entire day.

Thrice Yearning and Chanting Service
Date: 27.9.09
Entire day.

Wednesday September 23, 2009

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/23/business/4762997&sec=business

How to analyse an annual report

Personal Investing - By Ooi Kok Hwa

MANY of us receive a lot of annual reports every year.

Even though we are aware that there is a lot of important information in the reports, not many of us are willing to spend time going through those reports before buying stocks.

Besides, it is quite difficult for some investors, especially those who lack proper financial training, to analyse the financial information.

In this article, we will provide a quick guide on how to analyse an annual report.

Given that there are many ways to dissect an annual report, the following six pointers are just a quick check on the financial health of any listed companies.

Income statement is the financial statement that shows the effects of transactions completed over a specific accounting period.

In this statement, we have three key pointers: the current level of revenue; high growth in revenue; and the profits made in proportion to the level of revenue.

The current level of revenue indicates the size of a company. A company with revenue or sales of RM1bil is definitely bigger than one that has revenue of only RM100mil.

In Malaysia, companies with revenue of RM500mil and above should be considered as more established companies.

High growth in revenue implies that the company has been expanding over the past period.

Assuming the high growth in revenue will eventually translate into high growth in profits, we should invest in companies with higher growth in revenue because this may lead to higher stock prices.

If the overall economy is expanding, avoid those companies that are showing a decline in revenue.

This might imply that the overall operating activities of the companies are declining.

The profits made in proportion to the level of revenue indicates whether this company has high or low profit margins in its products. The profits here refer to the profit after tax or net income.

We should invest in high profit margin companies because high profit margins will provide a cushion to the sudden change in operating environment. A company with revenue of RM1bil and profits of RM10mil is more likely to face tougher challenges in a stiff price competition environment compared with a company with revenue of RM100mil and profits of RM10mil.

Balance sheet is the financial statement that shows a company’s assets, liabilities and owners’ equity at a point in time. The two main pointers in this statement are cash in hand and total borrowings.

Cash in hand refers to the cash or cash equivalent like fixed deposits. If possible, we should invest in companies with high cash in hand and zero borrowings. High cash in hand may imply that the company has high chances of rewarding shareholders with higher dividend payments.

Besides, companies with high cash in hand have more financial stability than companies with very tight level of cash. This explains why most investment gurus like to invest in cash-rich companies.

Total borrowings include the short- and long-term borrowings. Here, we should check whether the company has reported any sharp increase in borrowings during the financial periods. Most companies need to increase borrowings to support their capital expenditure on any business expansion.

However, if a company has been increasing its borrowings each year and the level has far exceeded one to two times the shareholders’ funds, unless its operating activities are able to support the repayments, the company faces very high financial risk.

Cash flow statement shows the sources and uses of cash over the period. One very important pointer in this statement is the operating cash flow.

High operating cash flow implies that the company is generating cash from its operating activities. A healthy company should show high operating cash flow because this number will indicate how much actual cash the company has generated from operations during the period.

We need to be careful of the companies that are showing profits but at the same time generating negative operating cash flows every year. This may imply that these companies have very high receivables. Any economic downturn may cause a sharp increase in provisions on bad debts.

Lastly, investors need to understand that the above six pointers are just a quick guide to analysing any annual report. Serious investors should not only analyse these six pointers. They are advised to scrutinise the reports further for more details.

l Ooi Kok Hwa is an investment adviser and managing partner of MRR Consulting.

4x4

Photoshop and RAW, NEF, CR2 files compatibility with new camera coming in,.

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2008/09/camera_raw_46_and_dng_converte.html

Can Camera Raw 4.6 be used with Photoshop CS2 ? I got a trial copy on Capture NX with my new D90 but I would like to stay with CS2 if possible to prevent having to learn an all new Interface.

Thanxs

[Camera Raw 4.6 can only be used with Photoshop CS3. You can use the DNG Converter to convert your D90 files to the DNG format that can be read by Camera Raw 3. But I strongly recommend taking a look at Camera Raw 5.2 that's now part of Photoshop CS4 as it contains significant enhancements over Camera Raw 3. -TH]

a client gave us a disk with cr2 files and my PC elements 5.0 can not open them. can you direct me to a plug-in so I can open the pictures and save them as jpg or tif?
Thank you.
[You can download the DNG Converter and convert the files to DNG so that Photoshop Elements 5 can open the images. www.adobe.com/dng -TH]

F1 prancing horse

specs.

The gearbox ;

Aisin AF33 transmission

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The Aisin AF33 is a 5-speed automatic transaxle. It is designed to be used in transverse engine configurations and can handle up to 243 ft·lbf (329 N·m) of torque. It is built in Anjo, Japan.

The AF33 designation is only used by GM, whereas the actual model codes are AW55-50SN(FWD) and AW55-51SN(AWD). The AW55 designation is used by Volvo and other automakers.

Gear ratios:

1	2	3	4	5	R
4.69	2.94	1.92	1.30	1.00	3.18

The Aisin AF33 is a 5-speed automatic transaxle. It is designed to be used in transverse engine configurations and can handle up to 243&_160;ft·lbf (329&_160;N·m) of torque. It is built in Anjo, Japan.

The AF33 designation is only used by GM, whereas the actual model codes are AW55-50SN(FWD) and AW55-51SN(AWD). The AW55 designation is used by Volvo and other automakers.

Fluid must meet JWS3309. Dealers carry this fluid under varying designations.

Gear ratios

Volvo owners manuals list the transmission as fill for life, meaning that there are no scheduled transmission fluid changes under normal operating conditions. This is controversial and believed by some to be a major contributing factor to increased valve body wear, eventually causing transmission problems that require valve body repair or replacement, and possible transmission overhaul or replacement.

The powertrain!


VM Motori diesel -

The Birth of the Turbotronic
In 1990 VM Motori launched the Turbotronic engine featuring an electronically controlled injection system and EGR. This engine, widely considered to be the cleanest light duty diesel engine in the world, was notable for having produced best in class performance and emissions results.

Prestigious Customers
Turbotronic's unequalled combination of performance, economy, emissions, noise control, cost effectiveness and quality, elements which have characterised the VM Motori product range over the years, attracted such well-known names as Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Alfa Romeo and Rover. Many other important customers have adopted VM Motori's state of the art engines for a wide range of industrial, agricultural and marine applications.

Captiva 2.0L 1991 cc - 4 cyl - 16 valves http://www.vmmotori.it/en/01/01/dettAutoOggi.jsp?autoId=58 The Captiva SUV, made by the American company Chevrolet, is fitted with a common rail diesel engine designed by VM Motori and produced, under license, by General Motors Daewoo Auto & Technology (GMDAT) at its plant in Gunsan, Korea. This engine has a power output of 150 CV @ 4000 rpm, and a max torque of 310 Nm @ 2000 rpm. These excellent values are achieved at low speed; perfect conditions for a Sport Utility Vehicle. Combined fuel consumption is 7.6L/100 Km.

Engine	2.0 L
Displacement	1991 cc
Cylinders	4 in line
Valves	16
Injection	Direct - Common rail
Max power	150 CV / 110kW
Torque	310 Nm
Weight	--
Emissions	310 Nm